March 29, 2009

New Home for NY Mets Opens

The New York Mets have a new home, and some of us got the chance to check it out today.

They opened the doors two weeks before Opening Day for a ball game between St. Johns and Georgetown. A nice gesture to college baseball, and a chance for the Mets to make sure that things work at the new building.

It was weird seeing Shea Stadium completely gone - there's only a pile of dirt where it once stood, a block away from the new ballpark.The new stadium is lovely. It's everything that Shea was not. The seats are wider and there is more legroom between them. You're closer to the field. The sound system is impeccable.

In this more intimate environment, you probably won't hear the airplanes as much.

There are food courts everywhere, with decent chow at prices that will shock the average fan - a slice of pizza will now set you back $6. A sixteen ounce Budweiser is $7.50. You can use credit cards pretty much anywhere, good thing at these prices.

There are no more ushers, which means that there will be no one to wipe off your seat, which is bad, and there is no one expecting a tip, which is good. The guys who used to work as ushers now act as gatekeepers for individual seating sections ( as in Giants Stadium ).

Where Shea was a cookie cutter ballpark, this is an intimate stadium with many nooks and crannies. The fans are really going to like it.This was a really good day for Georgetown's baseball team- they threw the first pitch in the new stadium, shown here, they hit the first home run, and won the game. St. Johns was actually the visiting team today.

Click to enlarge.

There is plenty of legroom, and a cupholder at each seat.

The little that remains of the mighty Shea Stadium may be found behind the blue fence, right outside the new stadium.

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